The first sentence of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship is a cruel and unconstitutional assault on our democracy. Yet, Congressman Tom Barrett has refused to take a stand against it. His and the Republicans’ silence is not only a betrayal of the 14th Amendment and the fundamental rights it guarantees to every child born in this country, but a direct attack on our Constitution, the same one he just swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States.’
This is a moment that demands courage and clarity – not complacency and political games. This echoing silence of Congressman Tom Barrett is instilling a new fear in people across this country who have spent their whole lives calling this country home.
We need answers. Will Congressman Tom Barrett defend the Constitution, or will he stand by as newborns and immigrant families are targeted by this un-American policy? In this critical moment, our community deserves leaders who will stand up against injustice and fight for equality.
Peggy Van Sickle
Brighton
The Republican Party shouts law & order, yet it is just a joke of a party.
Barrett will never stand up on this (or any other issue). He is just one of the entire Republican Party sheep members that we pay to do nothing.
We may be seeing the beginning of the end of democracy as we know it.
The rich will get richer and the expense of everyone else.
Apparently this is what the electors have decided is what we want.
The phrase “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” is the key. A person is only subject to the jurisdiction of the USA if they are a citizen. That is the point of law that the SCOTUS will have to decide. The 14th amendment was ratified (1868) to ensure the freed slaves (13th amendment of 1865) were counted as citizens. Since then there have been various interpretations of the 14th. It is past time to finally answer the question “Who is “subject to the jurisdiction?” If the answer is anyone and everyone, then we are doomed.